Running to the End
by Lyra Verse
Summary: Right after the fall of Terminus, the group decides to head to Washington. But the reappearance of a clue that could lead to Beth Greene causes a hitch in the plan because Daryl hasn't been able to stop thinking about her since she was kidnapped. And how will Michonne and Daryl change as people? Will they change at all? Or will they just be the last two standing?
1. Chapter 1

- Of course I don't own this, The Walking Dead. I wouldn't have to room with three other people to afford my rent if I did. I just happened to sit in on a talk session with Norman Reedus (a.k.a. Daryl) today and it made me want to write a fanfiction.

There are some ships I like: Daryl/Beth, Daryl/Michonne, Rick/Michonne...I liked Andrea/Rick before she died. Andrea/Daryl too. Realizing I like to ship Daryl with almost _anyone _so much...This is definitely gonna be a Daryl type of fic. I won't know until I begin writing, though, who the lucky lady is...or lucky guy...We'll both just have to find out, won't we?

The latest episode I've seen is "No Sanctuary" so I'll start from there and just veer off to my liking. -

The forest was quiet. Which was good and bad. Good because quiet meant no nearby walkers. Bad because quiet also meant eerie. No sounds were being made, not even from a stray squirrel. It made Michonne feel as if something foreboding was about to happen. She cast her eyes around the group from where she sat beside Rick. They had wandered away from the tracks into a clearing where they had decided to settle down for the night. Noise traps had been set to warn them if a walker happened to get close. Despite the lack of sounds, everyone except Michonne seemed to be slightly more relaxed than usual. They were all reuniting. Now that they had escaped Terminus, now was the time for everyone to revel in the fact that they had found each other and hear about what they each had gone through. Even Rick, who was normally one of the most alert, was lost in the beauty of his baby's face. The only other person who looked slightly on edge besides Michonne was...Daryl.

She cast her eyes over to him now. He was fussing with one of his arrows. It seemed like he was sharpening the tip but she knew that he was really just pretending to be busy so that others wouldn't try to talk to him. Maggie had already asked him to tell the story about Beth three times. She was trying to get a clue about the person driving the black car with the white cross when there was no clue to be found. Daryl had been right. Beth was just gone. And "just gone" was the worst kind of gone. Michonne could tell that Beth's disappearance was affecting Daryl in a bad way. He had been more sullen than usual since rejoining their group.

"You can go over there and talk to people you know." Rick's slow drawl broke through Michonne's concentration. "You don't have to stay over here with us." He placed a bottle gently between Judith's lips as he spoke.

Michonne glanced over at the "us" Rick was talking about. Rick, the baby, and a surprisingly languid Carl, who was laying on his side and smiling gently at the antics of his baby sister. A gentleness sank into Michonne's face when she looked at Carl. She was glad that he and Rick had found Judith. It was the most touching thing she had seen in a while. A small sadness crept into her, as it always did, when she thought about her own child and how she would never see him again.

"No," she said. "I'm going to stay here and keep watch."

"We don't need anyone to keep watch. We have the noisemakers." Rick didn't look up once as he spoke. He was too busy swimming in Judith's blue eyes.

"Well, I'm going to keep watch anyway." Rick finally glanced up at Michonne to see her give him one of her playful smirks. Rick was once again taken aback by this new warmth the warrior woman had. He had always seen her loosen up a bit around Carl but ever since she had found them again after the Governor's attack on the prison, it seemed as if she had made a significant change in her character. Now she was extending her warmth to him too. And it felt...good. Rick returned the half-smile with one of his own. It had been good to have her with him and Carl through the past days before Terminus. He didn't know what he would have done without her. Carl needed a kind of lightness that he just couldn't provide right now. Not when things were so heavy.

"You do what you want to," Rick responded. "Heck, you're going to anyway."

"That's right," Michonne said, with a satisfied nod.

"That's right."

Daryl watched Rick, Michonne, and Carl at the fire. Shadows of the flame flickered on their faces as they smiled at each other. They looked like a damn tableau of a perfect family. Ever since Daryl had rejoined their little group, he had noticed a strange bond that had grown between the three. He almost felt like the odd man out. Which didn't feel good since he had always been Rick's unofficial second-in-command.

Daryl huffed out an irritated breath of air. _'You sound like a pussy,'_ he reprimanded himself in his head. _'Feelin' all upset 'cause Rick don't seem to need you no more? What kind of shit is that?' _He threw the arrow he had been busying himself with aside and laid down on the ground just where he sat, placing his arm behind his head. _'I wonder what Beth would say about it.'_ His mind wandered to the young, blonde-haired girl as he looked up at the stars. Just when he had started to think that things may be alright...those damn zombies...

He went through that night in his mind again, as he had hundreds of times since it happened. He wondered if there was anything he could have done differently...if it was his fault... _'If I could've just let that damn dog alone!'_ he reprimanded himself.

He was about to drift off to sleep, going over things he had done wrong since the prison had been overrun, when a clanging sound caused him to sit up and get his crossbow at the ready, propping it over his forearm to hold it steady.

"What was that?" a couple of voices asked.

The fact that he still heard that question let Daryl know that people were still too naive. Like Beth. _'Still good people, my ass,'_ he thought, as he spoke aloud what he knew the sound to be. "Damn walkers."

Michonne had stood up as well, ready to attack and protect. "Should we kill 'em?" she asked.

"Relax," Rick said from his spot on the ground. He was alert now too, though. "It doesn't sound like a herd. Maybe a straggler."

A few people shifted and looked around uneasily but people settled back onto their haunches. Michonne sat back down slowly and Daryl lowered his weapon. The new group took the moment to begin with a pitch Daryl was sure they had been working on since leaving Terminus.

"Uh...Rick?" Abraham, the big red-headed man began. He stood up and put himself in the center of the clearing. "You've probably heard by now but...it is a fact that this man..." He pointed to Eugene, the nerd with with the mullet. "Knows what started all this and how to fix it. Now, me and my little group were headed to Washington, D.C. and...we figured since you folks don't really have anywhere to go no more...you should come with us. We could use the help."

Daryl settled back onto his hand and looked at Rick. He honestly wasn't sure about the nerd with the mullet. He didn't know whether he had the cure or not. And he didn't really want to get his hopes up just to have them crash to the floor later. He watched Rick, who he knew heard but was taking his sweet time with the answer. Daryl could tell that he was thinking about the group's options as his eyes stayed focused on the baby he was feeding.

"Is it true that you have the cure?" Rick asked, staring at Eugene. Going straight to the source.

"It's true," Eugene said, lifting his head to show confidence.

Rick squinted and Daryl knew he was using the lie-detector eyes he had honed as a sheriff before things went bad. "What is it?" Rick asked.

"I believe there's a chemical we can release that kills all the dead things. Fighting disease with disease," Eugene answered in his monotone voice.

"If there's something like that, why hasn't the government used it already?" Rick asked.

"Probably because of the risks involved. Risks that are too complicated to go into right now." Eugene stood completely still as he spoke. Daryl shook his head. The guy was too weird for him. He laid back onto the ground, throwing his arm over his forehead. He pretended not to listen but he was completely in tune with the conversation.

"Try," Rick growled out.

Not wanting to anger anyone, Eugene took a breath and began to speak. "Well...As I told the rest of your...fine compatriots, I was part of a top secret team that was working to create a strain of microorganisms that could combat illness. The trick to this strain was that we would use the exact, same components in the cure that can be found in the virus. Well, this virus...we were working on apparently mutated when it got into someone's bloodstream and spread from there. The only reason I can think of that the government hasn't tried this particular cure is because either they don't know for certain that the "cure" won't infect the rest of the surviving population or because I'm the only surviving member of the 10-person team left that knows the exact formula for the cure."

"Or everyone in Washington is dead," Daryl supplied from his spot on the ground. _'That's not helping, Dixon_,_' _Beth's voice spoke in his head.

"Or that," Eugene agreed.

"This man is our only chance of ending all this," Abraham said. "And I'm gonna lead him to Washington. With or without your help. But I'm hoping to high hell y'all help. Like I said...we need ya. Tomorrow we're heading into the nearest town to look for a vehicle. We can use some backup."

There was a moment of silence and then Rick spoke, making a decision. "Daryl, Michonne, Maggie, and Glenn. Go into town with these folks tomorrow to find a vehicle. And pick up any supplies you can find. I'll head out with Carl to try and find the safest route to take outta here. Carol, can you watch Judith while we're gone?"

"Of course, Rick," Carol said.

"For now, let's just all finish up what we're doing and get some sleep." With his decision made, Rick gave an affirming nod to Abraham and Abraham nodded back.

Daryl just lay looking at the stars for a while, thinking about what they had been through that day. Rick had stepped up in a big way back there at Terminus. He always did. Now there was no mistake about who the leader of the group was and that was fine by Daryl. Less arguments and confusion that way. In fact, he had never stopped looking at Rick as the leader. Not really. The council had been a good attempt at some kind of democracy but if Rick would have come in and said one word, he knew that he would have been following Rick. The man had survival instinct that kept people alive and Daryl respected that.

This evening, though, Rick had wanted to go back and kill the rest of the people at Terminus. Daryl was glad that Carol had come back at that moment to keep him from making the decision to either agree with Rick or the rest of the group. Because he honestly had no idea what his choice would have been. After the Governor destroyed the prison, he knew that it wasn't wise to leave enemies out there. But...he also knew it would have been dangerous for everyone to go back. And Beth wouldn't agree.

Before long, he felt a presence standing over him. Shifting his head a bit, he looked up to see Carol looking down at him.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," Daryl said. He looked back up at the stars. Feeling Carol sit down beside him, he shifted over to give her some room.

Carol's voice spoke softly from his side. "We'll find her again you know." Daryl ran his tongue over the roof of his mouth. He hated how Carol could always know what was bothering him. But he didn't mind it as well. It saved him from having to voice it.

"Yeah, well..." Daryl fought to keep his voice steady. Damned if he'd start acting like a little bitch all over some little girl. "I don't think we will." He didn't even have to look at Carol to know that she was looking down at him and seeing right through him.

"I know you're just saying that because you don't wanna get your hopes up," she said. "But we _will _find her. And I believe you know that."

"What I know is that I need to get some sleep," Daryl said, turning over onto his side with his back to Carol. "I got things to do tomorrow."

"Okay," Carol said. She gently laid her hand on Daryl's shoulder. Not having to say anything, Daryl knew she understood everything. "Good night." She stood up and walked away, Daryl hearing every step she took until she stopped to settle down wherever she had decided to sleep that night.

"Good night," Daryl whispered. He closed his eyes, deciding to go to sleep. He had another day of hell to look forward to tomorrow.

The next morning, Michonne finished saying goodbye to Carl before they both went off on their separate missions. He told her that if she managed to find two Big Cats and bring them back, he'd owe her a favor. And she was going to cash in by making him stand on his head for five minutes. It would be his fault for entering into a challenge with her anyway. You would think he would have learned by now.

Ten minutes in on the trek up the nearby tracks, Michonne was bringing up the rear with Daryl. Maggie and Glenn were filling up the middle. And Abraham, Eugene, and Rosita were leading them.

"I'm surprised you didn't run off by yourself after the prison fell," Daryl said from beside her in his gruff voice. Michonne rolled her eyes. He would never let her live down the fact that she was so similar to him.

"I tried," Michonne admitted after a second of silence.

"Oh yeah?" Daryl asked. "What stopped you?"

"I started to feel like one of them. One of the walkers. Even while I was still breathing," she said. She glanced over at Daryl. "What's the point of even living if it's gonna be like that?" Daryl nodded. He knew exactly what she was saying. "So I doubled back. Found some tracks. And followed them to a little town. That's where I found Rick and Carl." Relief and gratefulness washed over her anew as she remembered seeing them sitting in that room together. It was then that she knew she didn't have to be alone. Not anymore.

"Yeah," Daryl said. "Beth told me I'd be the last man standing. It didn't feel good when she said it though. I don't wanna be no - _last _man standing. That's some shit."

"Don't worry," Michonne said. "You won't be. I ain't going nowhere." She gave Daryl a playful smirk and then walked ahead.

Michonne had surprised Daryl before with her smile and this time, he was surprised again. He wasn't sure if he would ever get used to it. But her words caused him to produce a bemused smile of his own. She was right. If there was ever gonna be someone standing at the end, it would be her. Daryl hurried to catch up with her. "Hey," he said. He had seen the way she interacted with Carl. Maybe today didn't have to be as hellish as he thought. Not if they could keep themselves entertained. "Wanna see who can kill the most walkers when we get into town?"

Michonne gave him a questioning look and it made him wonder if he had jumped the gun. "I mean...we're gonna have to kill some anyway," he said defensively. "We might as well make it fun."

"_Killing them isn't supposed to be fun!"_ Beth's voice echoed in his mind, but he shut it out.

"I have to say I'm surprised," Michonne said. "You're always - get in, do the mission, get out."

Daryl shrugged. "You sayin' you don't wanna do it?" he asked.

Michonne thought for a moment. She felt like it would be immoral in some way to make a kind of sport out of what they had to do. But things were always so formal and serious between her and Daryl. Maybe they could stand to loosen up a bit. Besides, she could already tell that Daryl was already waiting for her rejection. And she never liked to do what was expected. "What do I get if I win?" she asked.

"I don't know," Daryl said, only letting his surprise at her acceptance show for a moment. "What'chu want?"

"A kiss," Michonne said. The words were out before she could even think about them properly. Whenever she played the game with Carl, she always just made the stakes something she knew would make Carl uncomfortable. She was doing the same with Daryl but it wasn't until the words were out that she knew how weird they sounded. "On the cheek," she added. Just to clarify.

As expected, Daryl stiffened up and walked in silence for a moment. "Okay," he finally said. He hadn't been expecting that. And he didn't want to even dwell on what made Michonne put that on the table. It made him too uncomfortable to just think about. He'd just have to win this thing so that he could escape the penalty.

"What about you?" Michonne asked, not allowing herself to feel embarrassed. "What do you want?"

"Ummm..." Daryl thought. "I want you to catch my dinner for a week."

"Oh, come on," Michonne said. "Your penalty is so much easier than mine. I don't even know how to hunt."

"If you can kill a walker, you can kill a squirrel," Daryl said.

With a sigh and a shake of her head, Michonne agreed. "Fine. But I hope you know that means you're going down. 'Cause I'm not gonna be your serving maid for the next week."

"We'll see," Daryl said.

"Yeah, we will." They shared a small smile and then didn't talk for the rest of the trip. But that didn't stop a bit of excitement from coursing through their veins.

Daryl got two kills upon entering the village. He retrieved his arrows from their decaying skulls and sent a gloating smile to Michonne, who had her hand on the hilt of her sword and who had drawn it out halfway. She sent it sliding back into her sheath with a sigh. "I think I'm craving some boar," he said as he passed her.

"Yeah, well, if I lose, you'll be getting some rat," he heard her reply behind him. "'Cause that's all I can catch."

"Do y'all have a bet going on this?" Daryl heard Glenn ask as he moved forward to keep looking out for walkers and a running vehicle. "'Cause I wanna get in on it..." He moved into a nearby grocery store to see if he could find some canned food and before long, Michonne followed in after him.

"Are you followin' me?" he asked, after looking over his shoulder to see who it was.

"Don't flatter yourself," Michonne said as she moved to the candy section. "I have a bet going with Carl too. A-ha!" She walked with purpose towards the end of the candy shelf and picked up a box of candy bars that held three Big Cats. "And I win."

"Well, that's good," Daryl said. "You should win _something _today."

"Ha ha," Michonne said dryly. "We'll see who's trash talking at the end of the day."

"Yeah, we will."

"Yeah. We will." Michonne stuffed the candy bars into the bag that was hanging off of her shoulder and she went right back out the front door. A second passed and then Daryl heard the slice of her blade and the thud of something falling to the floor. "One to two!" she called through the door.

Daryl chuckled and continued his inspection of the store. It wasn't until he felt that he had gotten everything that he could out of the store that he exited back out onto the street. Now that he had gotten some supplies, it was time for him to focus on his other tasks...finding a vehicle, and killing as many walkers as possible.

This town was strange, though. There didn't seem to be many walkers milling around. A lot of them must have moved on to greener pastures. Usually, he would have loved the fact that he didn't have some undead bastard creeping on his ass, but now he needed them to be around so that he could make sure to win the bet. He smirked thinking about how everyone would be wondering what was going on when they saw Michonne catering to him. They wouldn't know what to think. Especially Rick and Carl. And he wouldn't say a damn thing. He'd just let 'em wonder. With renewed energy in his step, he walked forward with his bow aimed and ready to kill.

His focus was broken when he heard the revving of an engine and the sound of a vehicle moving forward. He didn't have to wonder where the sound came from because a small storage truck soon came around the corner and presented itself to him. Abraham stopped in front of him and hopped down from the driver's seat. Eugene and Rosita hopped down from the other side. "Look what we found just sittin' there nice and pretty just waitin' for us!" Abraham said. "It didn't even take us long to find it."

"This gon' get us up to Washington?" Daryl asked.

"Yep," Abraham said. "Good engine on her. We just gotta keep her gassed up. And there's plenty of room in the back for all of us to squeeze. Two people and a little person can set up front. You see me, Eugene, and Rosita could all fit up there in the driver's part."

Daryl nodded. It seemed to be as good a truck as any. He sure hadn't been expecting to find anything as good as this. It was like a little blue gift from heaven. "Where's Michonne?" he asked. "Since we got what we came for, y'all wanna head back?"

'_If we head back now, I'll win,' _he thought with satisfaction.

"I don't know. I haven't seen her," Abraham answered. "I saw Maggie and Glenn a little while back. They were heading toward the police station to look for more riot gear or somethin' like that. Maybe she's with them."

"Let's go," Daryl said. He headed off toward where he assumed the police station would be. Toward the center of town. 'Cause cops always seemed to think they were the center of everything. He would keep that particular opinion to himself when around Rick.

They wandered a couple of miles and it wasn't long before they turned a corner and saw all three of them. Maggie, Glenn, and Michonne. They were standing around a black car.

"We don't need to look for a vehicle anymore guys," Rosita said. "We found one a couple miles back."

Neither Maggie, Glenn, nor Michonne responded. Daryl began to feel that something was up. They were all just staring at the black car. Not saying anything. "What is it?" he asked.

Finally Michonne moved. She took a step back. Opening up a space so that Daryl could see. His eyes landed on a white cross. His heart skipped a beat and he rushed forward. "This is it, right?" Maggie asked, emotion in her voice. "This is the car you said you saw Beth get taken away in!"

Daryl didn't respond. He was too busy inspecting the car. It looked just as it had that night except one of the tire's was flat. Punctured. It looked like it had been stabbed with a knife. Daryl tried to open the back door on the driver's side but it was locked. He moved to the driver's door and yanked. It opened with ease. With dread and hope filling him equally, he bent down to look inside. His breath shortened when he saw blood on the back seat. Blood but nothing else. He reached forward to touch it. It was sill warm. He pushed himself back out of the car. It was still warm! They could still be here!

"Beth!" he yelled. "Beth!"

Maggie joined him. "Beth!" she yelled. "Beth!"

Everyone else tried to shush the two. "Maggie, you're gonna bring walkers," Glenn said, moving forward to grip her arm. She shook him off. "Daryl. Daryl!" But the two didn't pay attention to the people behind them. They moved forward and began to look around the town.

Michonne, with her sword pulled from her sheath, ducked down to look inside the car. She noticed the blood as well. But it didn't seem to be a lot so it was probably not from a major injury. She stood back up and just as she feared, she noticed a couple of walkers appear from behind an abandoned restaurant. She rushed forward and took them out, not waiting for them to come to her. With a quick glance further up the street, she saw that about forty more were on their way. She ran back to Daryl and Maggie. "Come on," she said. "Let's go. There are walkers coming. We can look for Beth later."

She knew neither of them wanted to leave but she could see that they were finally listening. They got their weapons at the ready and, still looking behind and around them, they all began to run back toward the truck. Abraham, Eugene, and Rosita got into the front while Michonne, Daryl, Maggie, and Glenn opened the back of the storage and piled in. Glenn closed the door behind them. It shut with a clang and they were engulfed in darkness.

Daryl spoke from somewhere towards the front of the truck. "Beth is here. I just know it. I'm not going to Washington until we find her."

"Me neither," Maggie agreed.

Michonne slid down to take a seat on the floor of the truck. _'It's gonna be a long day,' _she thought. _'And now's probably not the best time to tell him I won. Three to two.'_

- Okay. So this is gonna be a love triangle fic. Michonne/Daryl/Beth. Tell me who you root for in the comment section. -


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"What is wrong with this group of people?!" Abraham yelled, frustrated. They had just gotten back to the camp and Daryl had told everyone about the group's discovery and his decision. If they wanted to go ahead to Washington without him, he had said. He would catch up. With Beth. Of course Michonne knew that Rick wasn't going to leave without Daryl. They needed Daryl. Which meant Washington would have to wait. Again. And that's why Abraham was yelling. "First it's Glenn, then it was Terminus, now it's this guy! What part of 'we gotta save the world!' don't y'all understand?!"

"How long do you think it would take you to find her?" Rick asked Daryl.

"He may never find her!" Abraham yelled.

Ignoring Abraham, Daryl responded. "Not long. Whoever she's with will probably move out tonight since they know we're looking for her. But I think I could track them. Especially now that they may be on foot."

"They may not be on foot at all," Abraham said. "They may have found another vehicle just like us and let out even before we got there."

"No, I don't think so," Daryl said, finally acknowledging Abraham's presence. "The blood on the backseat was still warm. They were still around."

"Who do you think even took her?" Maggie asked, holding onto Glenn. "And why?!"

Daryl shrugged. There was only one reason he could think of that someone would want to kidnap a pretty, young girl like Beth. And he didn't want to think about that for too long. He shook his head. "I have no idea. But I'm sure gonna find out. Then I'm gonna kill the som'bitch who did it."

"What if they're a group?" Rick asked.

"I don't think so," Daryl said. "Maybe two at the most. But not a group."

A moment passed as Rick thought about it. "Okay," he finally said.

"Oh, come o-" Abraham kicked a twig across the ground.

"We'll head out after they find Beth," Rick said. His voice warning Abraham not to question it. "In the meantime, we'll stay here and continue to gather supplies for our trip. Carl and I think we found a good path to stay on until we're out of Georgia. We can continue to scout it. Maggie, I want you to stay here and help watch the camp."

"But I wanna go help find Beth!" she cried.

"I know," Rick said. "But I need you here."

Not liking it but knowing arguing would do no good, Maggie gave a short nod. Rick looked up at the sun high in the sky. "You wanna go back to the town and look for her now?" Rick asked Daryl.

Daryl nodded. "Damn right." He was taking steps back and forth. A tell-tale sign that he was antsy.

"Michonne?" Rick said. "Will you go with him?"

"I will," Michonne said.

"If you ever feel like the trail is gone," Rick said to Michonne. "You two come back here. You hear me?"

"Yeah," Michonne said with a nod.

Daryl gave a reassuring nod to Maggie then Michonne and he set off on their way.

"The sun's prob'ly gonna go down while we're tracking," Daryl said as they were halfway down the tracks. "We may have to set up camp somewhere for the night." He spoke with his eyes focused ahead. Michonne followed along behind him.

"That's fine with me," Michonne said. "As long as you can keep up." She was trying to lighten the mood but the look that Daryl shot her way told her that he wasn't in the mood. "So do you really think that we'll find her?" Michonne asked.

"Yeah!" Daryl said defensively. "What? You don't? If not, you can just turn around right now and go back to camp."

"Hey, I'm not saying we won't find her," Michonne said. "I'm here to help you. I just wanted your honest opinion."

"Well, that's my honest opinion," Daryl said forcefully. "We're _gon' _find her!"

"Okay," Michonne said. She raised her hands to show surrender. Even though she hadn't been fighting him in the first place. "How long do you think it's gonna be before we get back to that town? Probably another hour and a half, don't you think."

"Maybe. Just an hour if we hurry." He quickened his steps with the statement.

Michonne let Daryl walk ahead of her. He didn't seem to be in a talking mood. Well, he wasn't usually in a talking mood, but now he seemed worse than ever. It made her wonder just how close he and Beth had gotten during their fight alone against the walkers. She knew that her bond with Rick and Carl had grown stronger. It was probably the same with Daryl and Beth. She wondered if anything happened. Knowing both Daryl and Beth, it didn't seem possible. But they were living in an apocalypse. Anything that didn't seem possible before was definitely possible now. Especially when everyone was fighting for their lives every single day. "Beth was a sweet girl," Michonne said, breaking the silence.

They walked a few more steps in silence and Michonne became sure that Daryl hadn't even heard her until he spoke. "Yeah?" he said. "What do you know? You don't even stay around long enough to get to know people."

Michonne sighed. "What about you?" Michonne asked. She usually tried to keep a level head but Daryl's offense-is-the-best-defense method was bringing her own defenses up. "At least I'm not always pushing people away because I'm too afraid."

"I ain't afraid of nothin'!" Daryl said, stopping to look at her.

"Oh no..." Michonne said, looking him in the eye. "You're afraid of everything."

Anger flashed across Daryl's green eyes as he squinted against the sunlight. "What?" Michonne asked after a moment of tension-filled staring. "You gonna hit me?" Daryl's gaze shifted to the side. "If not, I suggest we keep moving. We're losing sunlight." Michonne walked ahead and with a huff, Daryl trailed after. Soon, he pulled in front of her to reach the town quicker but there was no way in hell he was going to walk beside her. The quicker they got in, got Beth, and got out of town the better.

"The car is right there," Daryl said, as they moved back into town and saw the same car. "They done prob'ly left by now, but if we trail 'em in the morning, we can prob'ly catch up." Daryl looked up at the darkening sky. "We would prob'ly be safe to find a high-up place and catch some sleep. What'chu think?"

"Are you sure you don't wanna keep tracking through the night?" Michonne asked. "I can handle it."

Daryl gave Michonne an appraising gaze and then shook his head. "I cain't," he said. "I might miss somethin'. Better to be safe by using the full light of day."

"Alright. Whatever you say."

They worked their way to the roof of an abandoned hospital to get some sleep. "Of course you had to pick the most difficult building to try to conquer," Michonne said as they laid down some blankets they happened to pick up from somewhere dim in their brains now. It had taken them forty minutes to clear a pathway up to the roof and bombard the door that led out to them. "And we'll probably have to deal with a new set in the morning."

"Well, I didn't hear any of your bright ideas," Daryl said. "You didn't have to follow me up here."

"I did," Michonne said. "You're in charge on this mission. I'm just following your lead."

Michonne pushed herself against a wall of the roof of the building, one facing the doorway they had just locked up. Sitting with one leg stretched out and one bent at the knee, she pulled a can of sweetened corn from her backpack and placed her sword off to the side. "I ain't never been in charge before," Daryl said as he sat beside her. "This so you don't get any of the blame if things go wrong?" He took the can from her and used one of the hunting knives in his belt to cut the top open for her.

"No," Michonne said with a shake of her head. She took the open can of sweetened corn back. "I just know this is how it has to be."

Daryl looked at her questioningly, not knowing what she meant by that. "You know I ain't racist, right?" he said. "That was my brother. So if that's why you're taking a backseat, I-"

Michonne chuckled. "No," she said. "That's not it."

Not getting a further explanation, Daryl just looked ahead. "Hm," he said.

"What?" Michonne asked. She brought the can of corn to her mouth and tipped it back to fill her mouth with the flavor. It was sweet. She liked sweet.

"I just assumed you would be the type to never follow anybody." Daryl shrugged. "I guess I should've knew better since you follow Rick without question, but I just figured...It's 'cause it's Rick. The man is just...a leader. I'm no leader."

Michonne ate another mouthful of cream corn. She found it slightly amazing that Daryl didn't even know his worth. "Yeah, well..." she said. "Don't expect this kind of treatment all the time. It's just for the sake of this mission." She offered her can of corn to him. "Want some?" Daryl held his hand up and shook his head to refuse. With a shrug, Michonne finished the can off. After a few minutes of silence, she spoke again. "You're not even going to apologize are you?"

"Apologize for what?" Daryl asked. Michonne could already hear the defenses creeping up into his voice. He was getting ready to lash out and hurt.

"For what you said earlier," Michonne explained. "About me never being around."

"I ain't gotta apologize for that," Daryl said. "It's the truth. Besides, you won that one anyway."

"I won?"

"Yeah. You got the last word, didn't you?"

Michonne found herself smiling again. In a lot of ways, Daryl Dixon was still just a little boy. "Okay. Fine then," she said. "I won. No apology necessary. I'll let you off the hook. But there's something else I won today that you ain't gettin' off the hook from."

Daryl gave her a questioning glance for a moment and then his face cleared up as he remembered.

"Three to two," Michonne said with a smirk. Just in case he still needed reminding.

Daryl's eyes shifted around for a moment. As if he was looking for an escape. "You want me to do it here?" he asked.

"Not really," Michonne admitted. "I wanted you to do it in front of everyone at the camp, but here is as good a place as any. Might as well get it over with, right?"

Daryl looked for nonexistent exits with his eyes again before he gave in. "Fine!" he said. "Look forward!"

Michonne did as he asked. "Yes, sir," she said sarcastically. She even did one better by closing her eyes. But that was more for her sake than his. This was actually kind of uncomfortable for her too. She was starting to wonder why she even requested this.

"Man, this is a stupid game," Daryl mumbled.

"Hey, you're the one who wanted to play," Michonne said with another chuckle.

"Since when did you start smilin' so much?" Daryl asked, irritated.

"Why? Does my being in a good mood bother you?"

"Yeah!" Daryl said. "First Bob. Now you. What's wrong with you people? We're living in a damn apocalypse for Christ's sake. It's the end of the world."

Michonne opened her eyes and turned to face Daryl. "The world hasn't ended for us yet," she stated. This was the closest Michonne had ever been to Daryl Dixon and she had to say...She didn't like it. His eyes were so green. And piercing. It made her uncomfortable all over again.

"Close your eyes," Daryl said. Michonne did so with pleasure and faced forward again.

"You gonna do it?" she asked.

"Maybe if you stop talkin' so damn much." There was silence and Michonne waited for contact. She could tell when he got close because she could feel his breath on her cheek and her neck. She even felt the brush of his nose. And her heart actually picked up its pace. But then Daryl spoke again. "Why'd you even ask for this anyway?" he asked. "You horny?"

Michonne's eyes opened and her head snapped around. She hadn't been expecting such a blunt question. But then what did she expect from someone who barely walked ten steps away from the campground to take a piss. Not bothering to go behind a tree or anything...She shook her head and chuckled again. The sincere look of curiosity on Daryl's face making the question all the more amusing. "If I was horny," Michonne said. "I would have asked for way more than a kiss on the cheek."

Daryl gave a crooked half-smile and finally emitted a chuckle of his own. With a nod he said, "Yeah, I guess that's true."

"So, you gonna do it or not?"

"I don't know," Daryl said. "I gotta wait 'till you're not expecting it or somethin'. It's weird right now."

Michonne sighed and scooted down to lie on her back. "Pussy."

Knowing he wouldn't take that insult, Michonne wasn't surprised when she felt a quick kiss land on her cheek as Daryl moved to lie down himself. To cut off any further conversation, he turned with his back to her and lay on his side. Michonne smiled. He really was just a little boy. She touched the place where his kiss had landed and sighed. It was strange...but sweet. She liked sweet.

They awoke the next morning and found that they did, indeed, have to fight their way back down to the street. But it was a measly twenty-minute clearing sweep compared to the forty minutes they suffered through last night.

"Abraham or Eugene." Daryl put an arrow through the head of a straggling walker as he gave Michonne the options. They were heading out of town, following whatever trail Daryl saw and they had entered into a silly game of who they would rather pair off with if the choice ever came about and if no prior relationships had been established. Michonne found it rather surprising and pleasant that she could play these silly games with Daryl. It passed the time and she found that it kept them from being too defensive and closed off with each other. Because she had to admit that they were two defensive and closed off people to begin with.

"Abraham," Michonne said without hesitation. Her eyes scanned the landscape to make sure she didn't see any approaching walkers. Though she was sure that she would hear them before seeing them. "Rosita or Maggie."

"Mmm..." Daryl thought for a moment. "Rosita. It's the name mostly."

"Mm-hmm." Michonne didn't believe that for a second.

"Tyreese or Bob."

"Tch. Please," Michonne said, wishing that he would give her something harder. "Tyreese."

"Why not Bob?" Daryl asked, curious about her immediate response.

"He's weak," Michonne said. "Not physically, but mentally."

Daryl nodded. He could see that. His father had been the same way. "Okay," Michonne said. "My turn. Carol or Beth?"

"...Beth," Daryl answered. "Carol's my friend." Michonne nodded. "Hey, look," Daryl said. They were going deeper into a forest. A small trail ran through. He touched a broken tree limb. "Someone came through here. We're getting closer." He gripped his crossbow and walked with more of a purpose. Michonne matched his steps.

"Your turn," Michonne said.

"Uhh...Rick or Carl."

Michonne shot a questioning glare at the side of Daryl's head and his steps slowed for a couple of steps. "Sorry," he said. "First two names that came into my head."

"Rick," Michonne answered. "Sasha or me?"

"..." Twigs and leaves crunched underfoot as they walked. "Sasha," Daryl finally said. "No offense."

An odd twist happened in Michonne's gut. "None taken," she said. 'Why?' she wondered.

"Uhh...Okay. Glenn or me."

"You," Michonne answered. She wished she could take revenge and say Glenn but she decided to answer honestly in order to protect the integrity of the game. Daryl just kept walking as if the answer didn't affect him one way or the other. Only a slight widening of his shoulders showed that he heard her at all. "Okay. Let's have a battle among the winners now."

"Okay." Daryl signaled for her to go slower. More signs of people walking through began to show. Even Michonne could see them now. She pulled out her sword as well and held it at the ready.

"Rosita or Beth?" Michonne whispered.

"Beth," Daryl responded back. "Abraham or Tyreese."

"Tyreese. Beth or Sasha."

"Beth. Tyreese or Rick."

"..." Michonne thought for a moment. "Rick," she finally answered. Daryl nodded. He couldn't say he was surprised. Rick was the alpha male after all and Michonne seemed to be drawn to strong men if her responses were anything to go by. "There's no one left for you," Michonne said. "Beth ended up being the one you chose."

"Huh," Daryl said, again pretending that nothing affected him. "So who's left? You gotta choose between Rick and me."

Thinking about it, Michonne found that it was a more difficult question than she had expected it to be. But after consideration, she found with satisfaction that she could actually get revenge this time and have it be an honest answer. "Rick," she said.

"Figures," Daryl muttered, before raising his weapon and moving forward. "Get ready," he said. Pointing, he brought Michonne's attention to smoke, rising from an area about twenty feet ahead. It looked like it was coming from a campfire. As they approached, they saw that it was, indeed, a campfire. What they saw brought them to a pause.

Beth. Beth was there. She was really there.

But she didn't seem to be hurt or in any kind of disadvantageous position that they imagined they would find her in. She was actually in a white dress, which would be pretty if it weren't so old and ripped in some places. And her hair was down, falling around her face and past her shoulders in pretty waves. Michonne couldn't help but to think that she looked like the kind of angels you picture in your mind. She was sitting very still and staring at the person adjacent to her.

It seemed to be a man. But it was hard to tell because a cloak was covering him so Daryl and Michonne couldn't make the figure out from the back. "What do we do?" Michonne asked. "It only seems to be the one guy, but who knows?" She cast her eyes around the woods to see if she could find traces of any other people that might be laying in wait.

"Only one way to find out," Daryl said. Before Michonne could stop him, he stepped out of the woods with his bow trained on the figure. "Make one move and you die," he said warningly.

"Daryl!" Beth's blue eyes widened and immediately filled with grateful tears. "I knew you would come!"

Michonne stepped out of the woods to cover Daryl. Poised with her sword at the ready, Michonne focused on the man in the cloak. His hands had gone up to show surrender. "Jill, honey, who are these people?"

Michonne and Daryl cast glances at each other. 'Who is Jill?' they wondered together. They got their answer when Beth spoke. "They're my friends," Beth responded.

"Friends, huh? Well, you gonna tell your friends to come and sit down?"

"I ain't sittin' nowhere," Daryl started but Beth cut him off.

"Daryl-!" she said warningly. With a glance at Beth and then a look at Michonne, he moved over to the other side of the fire and sat slowly, his bow still trained on the man. Michonne followed him. When she was on the other side of the fire, Michonne could finally see the man's face. His hair was gray and matted and hung to his shoulders. He had a full beard and sagging skin. The blue of his eyes was so blue that he almost looked like a walker. If it wasn't for how his eyes kept darting back and forth and the fact that he was speaking, Michonne would have thought he was a walker for sure.

Michonne looked at Beth. "What's going on?" she asked.

"No...This isn't right," the man said, looking between Daryl and Michonne. "This isn't right. Jill, where did you meet these people? I always told you to hang out with the right kind of people. These people ain't right."

Michonne and Daryl shared another glance. The way this man's eyes were constantly moving back and forth and the way that he kept calling Beth by the name of Jill made it clear to the two that he wasn't in his right mind. "We're gonna be taking 'Jill' with us," Daryl said, not knowing what was going on and not caring.

The man's reaction was instant. He stood up, moving faster than either Daryl or Michonne expected him to. His standing caused the both of them to stand again as well. They were more alert now, too, since they knew how fast he could move. "Nobody's taking Jill from me," the man said. "Nobody."

Also on her feet now, due to the tension, Beth held her hands out, trying to calm both sides down. "They're not trying to take me from you, Daniel. You're coming with us. We can all go together." She looked at Daryl and Michonne. "Right guys?"

"I thought we were going home," Daniel said suspiciously.

"There's probably nothing of home left," Beth replied. "Remember? We talked about this. It'll just be safer to go with my friends."

"I can keep you safe!"

Beth held up her hands. "I don't doubt it. But my friends are nice people. They'll help us."

That was obviously the wrong thing to say. The man's brows drew downward and his hand went to his waist. "I don't need any help," he said. "Especially when it comes to taking care of me and mine." He brought his hand from his waist to reveal a large hunting knife clenched in his fist. With that, he charged toward Daryl. Daryl was about to bring his finger down on the trigger of his bow and arrow but Beth moved faster. She grabbed a log from the fire and smashed it across the back of the charging man's head. He fell to the ground, unconscious.

With their obstacle out of the way, Daryl dropped his crossbow and went to Beth. "Beth," he said. "Beth, you're okay." He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her tight against him.

"I knew you would come for me," Beth said, hugging him back. "I was just trying to slow him down. So you could come. I managed to get his knife and slit the tire on his car."

Michonne looked away, feeling as if she was invading their privacy.

"You did good," Daryl said. "You're a little badass." Beth's face lit up as she looked up to see Daryl's eyes. She must have stared too long and made him uncomfortable because he stepped away. "Okay," he said. "What do we do with this asshole?" He roughly flipped the man over. "Should I shoot him?" He aimed his crossbow at the unconscious man.

"No!" Beth placed herself between the two. "No," she said. "He's just confused. He thinks I'm his daughter." She cast her eyes downward. "She died a few months ago. It must've broke him. Understandable... 'cause you only have each other during these times..." She stared sympathetically at the man at her feet.

"Well, we can't take him with us," Daryl said. "For one, ain't nobody gon' carry his big ass and two...Rick's not gonna want some nutjob at the camp." At Beth's questioning gaze, he explained. "Rick's kinda in a bad spot again. He's gone all 'it's us or them' after Terminus turned out to be a crock o' shit."

"Terminus?" Beth lifted her head. "I saw signs for that place. Y'all went there?" She looked between Michonne and Daryl.

"Yeah," Daryl said. "And it was no good. We destroyed it."

The small hope that was in Beth's eyes died. "Oh," she said.

"Yeah..." Daryl said again, not knowing what to say. He never knew what to say when a girl felt down. "Anyway, Rick's not gonna want that asshole there."

"What do you thnk, Michonne?"

'Oh, so I'm not invisible,' Michonne thought derisively. "I think we should just leave him here," she said. "It's the easiest thing."

Daryl shrugged but Beth grew indignant. "No!" she said. "Leaving him here is just like killing him! We gotta take him with us! Somehow! I don't care what Rick says!" Her eyes grew bigger. "He's all alone out here." When she still didn't get an agreement from Daryl and Michonne she stated forcefully, "We're taking him with us!" With that, she leaned down and began to try to lift the man, "Daniel" she had called him, by herself. Of course, that caused Daryl to move in to help. Michonne sighed and sheathed her sword.

"Alright," she said. "Where are we taking him?"

"Maybe we can find another car in town," Daryl said.

"Maybe." After helping to get him up, Michonne took her sword back out and walked in front. "Beth," she said. "Daryl or Rick?"

"Huh?" Beth asked.

"Shut up," Daryl grumbled, embarrassed. Michonne walked ahead, smiling to herself.


End file.
